Special Genie Mission
by plasticineking
Summary: Alex's birthday is coming up and Team Bolly are sent on a on a Special Genie Mission, which changes things for the team. Character death.


**Special Genie Mission.**

There were a fair few things Alex hated. She hated being unclean, yes, out of everything when she felt dirty it made her in a terrible mood, which is another thing she hated. She also hated the hangover without drinking feeling she had on times, whether it was mornings where everything seemed to be just that bit louder or her senses would pick up on every bad smell or noise and her stomach would recoil at the very thought. This morning was one of those mornings. Though, there was a very good reason for her feeling today, and without opening her eyes she lifted her hand and tentatively felt the back of her head, just like she thought. It was matted, probably with her own blood, and maybe some of the water of the cold, hard, wet ground she knew she was lying in, even though she refused to open her eyes. Or at least that's what she told herself she was doing, when in fact, she genuinely couldn't open her eyes. She moved her hand that cradled her bloody head and gently touched her eyes, bruised and swollen, just like she thought. Thankfully, nothing else seemed to be hurting, and when she tried really hard she could open her right eye not much, but enough so she could get blinded by the unexpected light that shone, rather too brightly in her opinion, right into her eye. Though, she mused, any light would seem too bright right now.

There was a moment, where she decided to focus completely on trying to listen out for any sign of life around her. It seemed odd that she wasn't tied up, and could – if she wasn't so weak, and practically blind – run away now, free from whatever was around her. Listening, she could hear breathing, and suddenly a wave of absolute fear washed over her and she kept completely still, hoping the breathing would go and she could then attempt an escape. Where were her team? Her team of skilled and amazingly talented coppers, she had to stop herself from scoffing aloud at that, her crack team where in fact there with her, she remembered now. There was no, real, bad guy in this situation only a shoddy driver and bad reflexes. Alex groaned then, hopefully signally her life to anyone who may have been better off than her. Her, Ray and Shaz were on a "Special Genie Mission", which expanded meant, "Piss off, while we plan Bollys Birthday, drive around and get Shaz used to being a DC, and don't come back 'til I say so". She regretted so much then, telling them about her birthday, God did she regret it!

Shuffling, she opened her right eye again and noticed that the light that shone so brightly in her eye was one of those lights that really couldn't be dimmed at all, it was in fact the sun and after blinking a few times she noticed she was nearly drowning in a puddle. Where the hell were they? The docks, yes, a van with dodgy number plates sped past them, so they decided to chase after them, Shaz exclaiming how excited she was about it. Stupid girl, ending up distracting Ray who batted her arm away, nearly crashed into the side of the van the car itself tumbled a few times and somehow through that, Alex imagined she must've come out the windscreen, or escaped through the battered door, and just collapsed. Turning her body so she was lying flat on her stomach, she placed her palms to the floor, and tried, almost in vain to move her body, she was in most ways very much a dead weight, though she managed to move herself away from the puddle, which she noted wasn't completely water filled, but also from the smell, oil. Panic rushed through her veins along with a joilt of adrenaline and she managed then to lift herself back, so she was leaning on the balls of her feet and knees and managed to try to look around. What she assumed was water with her blood matting her hair, was infact oil too, and when she looked around for a marked police car, it was nowhere to be seen, but bodies were, three in total, all unmoving and only one, she noted, looked as though they were breathing at all. She stood on completely unsteady feet and rushed to the blurry image that looked, like it could definitely be Shaz, who was closest to her. She fell onto her knees by the girl, and turned her over, a sob leaving her chest before she could stop herself. It was Shaz. At least, by the clothes it was, her face, nearly unrecognisable.

"Shaz," she croaked, feeling like a stereotypical weak woman. She shook at Shaz's shoulders, but she knew it was in vain she knew from the moment she looked around. Resting her forehead upon Shaz's chest, she sobbed again, looking up and smoothing the stray hairs that fell onto Shaz's distorted and burned and once beautiful face. "I'm so s-sorry." There was a groan, and Alex prayed that it was Ray, she would kiss him if it was. Staring a moment at Shaz's lifeless body, she rose again and stumbled in the opposite direction, towards the noise, and she noted, that she could smell burning in a direction she had yet to look, but she knew that it would be their police car, and frankly right then, she didn't give a damn. She stumbled but run, grieving and fighting all at the same time, and noted that the body making a grumbling moaning noise had a curly perm and an unforgettable moustache. She dropped once again to her – now bruised – knees and smoothed Rays face, lifting his head onto her lap, silent tears drifting down her face.

"Ya look like hell." He groaned out, trying she assumed to get humour out of the completely shitty situation. She could hear it though, the fear and complete defeat in his voice. She laughed, not because she found what he said funny, but because she didn't know anything else she could do.

"S-shaz..." She said, sobbing again, at the thought of the young woman's body limp and battered and lifeless. Ray seemed to open his eyes wide and sit up his hand cupping Alex's bruised and cut face, sighing and bringing her to him, holding her in a way that would've been totally out of character had it not been for the fact of everything that had happened in that long, or short, space of time. No words were spoken, and he held her there for so long she thought that maybe hours had passed, or that it was some terrifying nightmare, but opening her eye she realized it wasn't, it was all terribly real and she was so broken. It didn't take long for a swerve of tires hitting tarmac and fire engines and police sirens to hit their gentle ears. So much movement around them, that she almost didn't notice being separated from Ray, and soon after that, drifting unconscious because of the battering pain in her head. Dimly she noted before she went to black, crying. Painful heartbreaking sobs, that could only be from one dim but loving, Chris Skelton. Her heart broke for him, broke for them all.

* * *

><p>Drifting awake, she realized she was definitely a lot more comfortable than she was before, and she couldn't smell any oil or sea or fire or blood, just clean. Almost too much that that horrible sickening feeling drifted back and she wondered if she would just feel better if she let it all out now, knowing she wouldn't. She didn't open her eyes, but she knew she wasn't alone, someone was watching her, and with the gaze she felt on her it wasn't hard to know who. Turning her head to the side she opened, what she thought would be one eye and was shocked to note both eyes opened.<p>

"Bolly." He breathed, shuffling his chair to her bed. "Bloody shit, all of it." He mumbled looking years older than she remembered and stressed and pained. She wished she could hold him right there.

"Shaz?" Alex asked, her voice sounding weak, she hated it. She didn't know what she was asking really. If Shaz was actually dead? Or if Shaz would be walking in the room any moment? Or if the body actually was Shaz's, Gene seemed to understand, and after looking down on the floor for a brief moment, he met her eyes, his stare warm, but the depths showed the hurt. He coughed lightly before speaking.

"I-It was Shaz." He said, quietly and he looked, himself, half the man he used to be. "Poor bloody girl." He said a little louder. "I'm sorry." He said, all his feelings poured into the two words, and Alex realized she was crying, but noted that wasn't what he was sorry about. Not completely.

"W-why?" She asked, her voice wavering.

"After all that shit you went through. Having to see her..." His voice broke then, somehow, it should've seemed odd, but it wasn't not really. She couldn't judge him for being upset when the tears ran down her face and her throat had closed up. "I'm sorry _**you **_had to see that, Alex."

She wanted to answer, but instead she moved her hand up and cupped his cheek, his eyes briefly shutting and opening to look at her. She tried to smile, but it didn't quite reach her eyes, and she doubted it was at all reassuring with the tears that fell.

"Chris?" She asked, almost fed up that more than one word hurt her to even attempt to say. He leant back away from her hand, which she gladly put down on the bed, the effect tearing too much of her energy, he let out a puff of air, and run a hand over his face.

"He's a broken man, Bols. I'm not even goin' to say he's hangin' in there, he's shattered." Gene didn't look at all disappointed in Chris for not being stronger, just sad, everything was just so...sad. "He's got nobody to blame for it, nobody so he can have his revenge on and I think that really kills him."

There was a long silence, before Alex asked her last question and decided that that would be it. Her energy almost completely gone.

"Ray?" She looked at Gene to see a hint of something on his face.

"He's fine Alex. A few cuts here and there, but he didn't even need to stay in hospital. Just did." He nodded over the other side of the room, to a chair occupied by Ray, his leather jacket on top of him asleep deeply, and she noted, any cuts on his face seemed have healed a little, the fact that he had stayed there all this time warmed Alex, then she frowned. She looked back at Gene confused, and somehow like reading her mind, he sighed and answered.

"You've been here about a week and a half. Woke up a few times, but..." He sighed again, "Not really with it until now. I should tell the doctors or somethin' but I just think ya should relax."

"I've relaxed enough." She said, almost too sharp for her own liking. The thought of missing a week really unsettled her, and overtook any warming feelings she had from thinking about Ray staying there, she just wanted to get home – slightly layered statement – and get back to work, anything to take her mind away from the events that replayed over in her head.

"Bols, just because you've been asleep don't mean you've relaxed. There's been a war going on behind those eye-lids." Gene replied, although not unkindly. He stood up and started walking to the door, probably to call a nurse, before he turned back sharply, walking straight to Alex and planting a gentle but firm kiss on her lips, his hand gently grasping her jaw. They broke apart, and he would've laughed had it been any other moment at Alex's shocked expression.

"Happy Birthday, Alex." He spoke gently before swiftly walking out of the room, leaving her with a mixture of emotions.


End file.
